Tissue Ablation with Irreversible Electroporation

Abstract

This study introduces a new method for minimally invasive treatment of cancer-the ablation of undesirable tissue through the use of irreversible electroporation. Electroporation is the permeabilization of the cell membrane due to an applied electric field. As a function of the field amplitude and duration, the permeabilization can be reversible or irreversible. Over the last decade, reversible electroporation has been intensively pursued as a very promising technique for the treatment of cancer. It is used in combination with cytotoxic drugs, such as bleomycin, in a technique known as electrochemotherapy. However, irreversible electroporation was completely ignored in cancer therapy. We show through mathematical analysis that irreversible electroporation can ablate substantial volumes of tissue, comparable to those achieved with other ablation techniques, without causing any detrimental thermal effects and without the need of adjuvant drugs. This study suggests that irreversible electroporation may become an important and innovative tool in the armamentarium of surgeons treating cancer.

Elimination of Purkinje Fibers by Electroporation Reduces Ventricular Fibrillation Vulnerability

“…This is shown in our work: as we increased the electric field strength (ie, V/cm) delivered, we observed a greater electroporative effect. Varying these parameters gives the opportunity to target tissue selectively 36, 37, 38, 39. In our case, with some manipulation of the electric field (namely, the voltage delivered), we did not observe any myocardial damage.…”

On the Electroporation Thresholds of Lipid Bilayers: Molecular Dynamics Simulation Investigations

“…Electroporation is considered reversible if cells recover their initial state after the electric field is switched off; electroporation is considered irreversible if it leads to cell death. These two processes are used in electrochemotherapy (Sersa et al 2008), transdermal drug delivery (Denet et al 2004), gene therapy (Daud et al 2008;Breton et al 2012), water cleaning (Vernhes et al 2002), food processing (Toepfl et al 2007) and tissue ablation (Davalos et al 2005).…”

Impact on genitourinary function and quality of life following focal irreversible electroporation of different prostate segments

“…IRE ablates tumor tissue by delivering a direct high-voltage current between a pair of needle electrodes (13). By targeting cells with multiple consecutive electrical pulses, the cell membrane becomes irreversibly permeable, resulting in cell death (13).…”